Your odds of colliding with an unsuspecting deer on the road aredown by 4.3 percent, and you can thank your fellow drivers forthat, according to a new State Farm survey.

State Farm, using its claims data and state licensed-drivercounts from the Federal Highway Administration, says the chances ofany single American motorist colliding with a deer over the next 12months is 1 in 174, down from 1 in 167 the year before. State Farmspokesperson Arlene Lester says the reason for the decline issimple: there are more cars on the road now compared to last year,and as the number of registrations goes up, the likelihood of anyone driver hitting a deer goes down. “The deer aren't doinganything differently,” she jokes.

The total number of deer collisions between July 1, 2012 andJune 30, 2013 was 1.22 million, which State Farm says is down by3.5 percent compared to the year before. The average propertydamage cost of these incidents was $3,414, up 3.3 percent from theyear before, State Farm says.